Erica Verrillo has written seven books and published five. She doesn't know why anyone with an ounce of self-preservation would ever want to publish. But, if you insist on selling your soul to the devil, learn how to do it right: marketing, literary agents, book promotion, editing, pitching your book, how to get reviews, and ... most important of all ... everything she did wrong.
In the interests of protecting the right to free speech, she did not vote for Trump.
#NotMyPresident

Fiyah Magazine: 'Spilling Tea' issue. Genre: Speculative fiction featuring stories by and about people of the African Diaspora. Payment: $150 per story, $50 per poem. Deadline: January 1, 2017.

Bellevue Literary Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that explores the concept of family. "Illness can rattle the struts of a family unit, often irrevocably. Most families, of course, do not break completely apart because of illness, but there is no doubt that illness in one member can have profound, often permanent, effects on the nature of the family structure. By turning a creative lens to these dynamics, we hope to produce a collection of works that paints a picture—however complicated—of the frustrations, hopes, and connections that define a family." Payment: Small honorarium and print copies. Deadline: January 1, 2017.

Inkubus Publishing: Fairy Tail. Genre: Fairy tale. ‘Fairy tales have long been used to entertain, teach, and even sometimes frighten readers of all ages. Whether it’s witches eating unsuspecting children, princes cursed because they are terrible people, young maidens outsmarting fairy creatures, or just tales of mystical fairy folk, fairy tales are an indelible part of the storytelling experience. For this anthology we want you to give us your sexy take on fairy tales or fairy stories.’ Payment: $15 and Contributor's Copy. Deadline: January 2, 2017.Ashland Creek Press: Writing for Animals Nonfiction Anthology. Genre: Nonfiction. "We seek articles from authors and educators about the process of writing about animals in literature. Our focus is on including a mix of instructional and inspirational articles to help readers not only improve their work but be inspired to keep at it. Articles may be previously published and should not exceed 10,000 words." Payment: $100 per essay. Deadline: January 3, 2017.

Chrome Magazine. Genre: Articles and creative essays only – no poetry or fiction. ‘The only instructions are that the piece should be based around the colour Red, between 500-1500 words. The article is also to be ideas based: intelligent, thoughtful, provocative, different, creative, beautifully written, accessible and interesting. Also the piece has to be timeless, a reflection rather than fast news.’ Payment: Not specified. Deadline: January 5, 2017.

The Lifted Brow Magazine. Genre: Translated Literary Work. "Our translations will largely focus on works from the margins: people who live and write from demographic margins, and/or writers whose work sits in the literary margins, and/or translators who interpret the translation act in surprising ways or stretch the bounds of what ‘translation’ means: your work might be cross-modal or cross-genre, might include insertions, erasure or collage." Payment: Up to $300/submission. Deadline: January 8, 2017.

Crab Orchard Review: Weather Reports: All About the Weather. Genres: Original, unpublished poetry, fiction, or literary nonfiction in English. "We are open to work that covers any of the many possibilities in how we think about and experience the weather through science, history, popular culture, art, and our own lives." Payment: $25 (US) per magazine page ($50 minimum for poetry; $100 minimum for prose) and two copies of the issue. Deadline: January 10, 2017.

Texas Home School Coalition Review. Genre: Nonfiction articles about home schooling. (See website for topics.) Payment: $40 for nonexclusive print and electronic rights to feature articles that have been published previously, or works to which the author wishes to retain the copyright. (Authors should confirm that agreements with previous publishers will not conflict with THSC’s nonexclusive rights.) $110 for the exclusive print and electronic copyright to previously unpublished works. Deadline: January 10, 2017.

Twelfth Planet Press: Octavia Estelle Butler Issue. Genre: Nonfiction. "We are looking for letters addressed to Butler, which should be between 1000 and 1500 words." Payment: 5 cents/word up to $USD75 for letters, to be paid on publication. Deadline: January 12, 2017.

Tor.com. Genre: Fantasy novella: 20K - 40K words. They are looking for "epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, high fantasy, or quest fantasy genres, whether set on Earth or on an original fantasy world. However, we will only be considering novellas that inhabit worlds that are not modeled on European cultures. We are seeking worlds that take their influences from Africa, Asia, the indigenous Americas, or any diasporic culture from one of those sources. To qualify, novellas should center the experiences of characters from non-European-inspired cultures." Payment: Advance. Deadline: January 12, 2017.

Splickety: Time Warp. Genre: Fiction. "If the Coen brothers could turn the The Odyssey into O Brother, Where Art Thou?, imagine all the classics that could be recast and retold. For our Literary Retellings theme, we want recognizable characters and plot thrown into unique settings. Take Shakespeare or Dickens, Twain or Hemingway beyond where we’d expect. Moby Dick in the great lakes? Sure. Robin Hood during the Roaring 20s? Why not? The Tell-Tale Heart beating below a samurai’s tatami-covered floors? Absolutely. (Please include the title of the original classic story in your submission.)" Payment: $0.02 per word. Deadline: January 13, 2017.

The Capilano Review. Genre: Poetry, fiction. Experimental writing and art. Payment: $50 per page. Deadline: January 15, 2017.Great Weather for MEDIA: Annual Print Anthology. Genres: Poetry, flash fiction, short stories, dramatic monologues, and creative nonfiction. "Our focus is on the fearless, the unpredictable, and experimental but we do not have a set theme for our anthologies." Payment: $10. Deadline: January 15, 2017.

Liminal. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry. "We like stories that are strange and unsettling, sharp-edged and evocative. Although we will consider any genre, we have a soft spot for weird fiction, magical realism, soft science fiction, and those uncategorizable stories that straddle the line between genres." Payment: 6 cents/word/fiction. $50/poem. Deadline: January 15, 2017.Spirit's Tincture. Genre: Fiction and poetry that includes some element of fantasy, myth, fairy tale, or folklore. Payment: 6 cents/word. Deadline: January 15, 2017.

Helios Magazine. THEME: Commercial Cosmonauts & Hired Guns. Genres: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art: "stories that delve into various journeys of unwilling and daring adventurers. What propaganda forces these individuals to battle against the universe and formidable foes? What are the stories being left untold in these narratives dominated by the lone white male savior against the world?" Payment:$0.03 USD per word for the first 1,500 words and $0.01 USD after for short stories, and $0.25 USD a line for poetry. Deadline: January 15, 2017.

Bikes in Space: Volume 5. Genre: Speculative short story on the theme of Intersections. "Stories that are accepted will all have a feminist perspective and incorporate bicycling in some way, whether or not they are actually about feminism or about bicycles." Payment: Percentage of Kickstarter. Deadline: January 15, 2017.

Ella @ 100. Genre: Poems, stories, essays, scripts, and graphic essays or stories inspired by the life and work of the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald. Payment: $10 and contributor copy. Deadline: January 15, 2017.

Morel. Restrictions: Authors must live in Southwestern Ontario or write about the region. Genres: Fiction, poetry and essays about Southern Ontario. Payment: $25 per piece. Deadline: January 22, 2017.

Room Magazine: Migration. Restrictions: Open to Canadian women. Genre: Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and art that explores migration in all its many forms. Payment: $50 CAD for one page, $60 for two pages, $90 for three pages, $120 for four pages, $150 for five or more pages. Deadline: January 31, 2017.Wordrunner E-Chapbooks. Genres: Fiction, memoir and poetry. "The theme for this year's anthology is breaking barriers or pushing against boundaries. Fiction on this topic can be contemporary or historical. Our preference, whether in fiction, nonfiction or poetry, is for emotional complexity. We are not interested in genre fiction unless it transcends genre." Payment: $100 for collections, $5 to $25 for poems, stories and essays published in the annual anthology. Deadline: January 31, 2017.

Carnival of Madness Anthology. Genre: Horror. "Buy the ticket and step into the last Carnival you will ever attend! Authors, let your darkest ideas and fantasy unite at the Carnival of Madness. Psycho-thrillers invite their audience to be a part of the nightmare that you create! So....Wanna go for a ride?" Payment: $25 and contributor copy. Deadline: January 31, 2017.

Martian Migraine Press: A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession. Genre: Weird Fiction. "We encourage our authors to unshackle themselves from the standard tropes that can weigh down the imagination and move into truly authentic dimensions of fear, awe, and cosmic wonder. We want to see the Weird move with confidence into the 21st Century, and want our authors to share that commitment. For A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession, the seed story will be H P Lovecraft’s classic The Colour Out of Space." Payment: 3 cents/word (CAD) and contributor copies. Deadline: January 31, 2017.

13 comments:

I will check out this list of publishing possibilities, but why in the world does the author think she needs to state that she did not vote for Trump? Her entire article now is tarnished by such Irrelevance. Makes me question her judgment. Get over yourself and just write.

Perhaps because Mr. Trump has demonstrated he's no friend to the first amendment, and will use the threat of a libel suit to silence his critics. Never mind whether it's founded or not, when he can better afford the lawyers and court costs. The author IS writing; if you don't like what she's writing, fine, but demanding the content confirm to your views or none at all is antithetical to free speech.

I'm expressing an opinion on a public forum, just as you are, just as was the blogger. Absolutely ZERO to do with "demanding the content confirm (SIC)" to my views. Debate and argument is the lifeblood of a free society. At any rate, this website is about writing, about getting published, and I congratulate the blogger for her excellent site. I disagree with her stated political opinions, and that's that. Nothing more, nothing less. We question one another's judgment. Hardly "antithetical to free speech." If I tried to do something to get her blog shut down? THAT would be antithetical to free speech. I'd never do that. I love free speech. It is, as I said, the lifeblood of a free society. The libel suits threatened by D. Trump? There are millionaires out there willing to pay any amount of money to push for a court hearing against Trump. I doubt it will ever happen because the accusations are too weak. That's my opinion.

Fair enough. Although "get over yourself and just write" isn't precisely what I would call a measured response. Also, to say my "entire article" is "tarnished" by "such irrelevance", is a little beside the point, as the article, indeed this whole blog, is dedicated to helping writers, which I do regardless of who they voted for. As for myself, I will be spending much of my time, as a writer, to opposing Trump for as long as he is in office. My commitment to defending democratic institutions and to the Constitutional rights of all of our citizens - regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual preference - comprise an integral part of who I am, both as a writer and as a proud member of our society.

Hello (not-so-friendly) Texan. Anyone who voted for Trump should have their judgment questioned. Standing up for democracy at this time in history is important. I like to think that had I been born in Germany at the start of the last century, I would have stood up against Hitler.

In what real way does Donald Trump resemble Hitler? Hitler took power in the beginning -- through his appointment by the Chancellor -- through dishonesty, lying about his true beliefs, claiming he wanted peace and justice for Germany. Now we know he was actually harboring ambitions of world domination. Donald Trump is loudly open and honest about what he thinks, how he wants to move forward toward a less regulated, more free economy. Plus he's not an ideologue, not a "die-hard conservative" by any means. I've been an amateur student of the rise of Hitler for many years, and I recommend that people should study some of the hundreds of books on the market. Donald Trump is about as non-Hitlerian as any American poliician could be. What you see is what you get, he's not going to sneak around and try to remake the Constitution or enact regulations that hamper our freedoms. We are not a monarchy and no President has enough power to threaten our rights under the Constitution, not without the help of Congress and the Supreme Court, etc. Milllions and milllions of Americans saw Donald Trump as the much better option (than the Democrat alternative) and voted for him. Please quit insulting us, if you can. If you can't, I seriously question your judgment.

Hi Texan. I'm pleased that you are an amateur student of history. I am a real one. I have a degree in History (from Tufts) and I have read a great deal on Hitler's rise to power. There are many similarities between Trump and Hitler, not the least of which is an appeal to the irrational fears of a populace. Neo-fascism, as it presents itself now, in a new historical context, plays on racist fears, xenophobia, and protectionism. It undermines trust in democratic principles and institutions, and seeks to limit freedom of the press. Like Hitler, Trump is intent on breaking unions, and repressing protest. Also, like Hitler, Trump is autocratic, narcissistic, and shows signs of mental deterioration, as evidenced by his speech. (I have an advanced degree in Linguistics.) I firmly believe that the people who voted for Trump either share his white supremacist leanings, or were duped into believing that he would serve the interests of this country. So far, he has only shown that he serves his own interests. (Also, keep in mind that many more millions of people voted against Trump than voted for him. Those are the people who had good judgment.)

My darling Texan, are you insane? "What you see is what you get"?! Donald Dump has spent the past two weeks on a victory rally tour bragging loudly about how he said a bunch of shit during his campaign that he didn't mean at all.He explicitly tells his supporters this, and they applaud him as if they've been in on the joke all along. "He's not going to sneak around and try to remake the Constitution"?! Are you sure? Because I've lost track of the number of times he announced the ways he would limit free speech and free press. Can you really not see the discursive parallel between Hitler unifying a defeated post-WWI white Germany against a vulnerable minority group and Trump unifying an ignorant, fearful, economically disenfranchised white USA against a vulnerable minority group? Or, as Erica mentions, the centrality of self-aggrandizing narcissistic rhetoric to the campaign of both? It's baffling to see someone who can articulate a thought in writing but can't identify obvious discursive similarities between Hitler and Trump - it's really not hyperbole at all. We just haven't gotten to see Donald Dump put his big-boy fascist pants on yet.

Mark Fitzsimmons, insult much? Why must anti-Trump folks stoop to name-calling so quickly and easily? "Insane" would be to try to reason with you. We disagree about Trump and his goals. I'm not calling you "insane" or "evil," just disagreeing with your side. I do see how people can confuse the brash style of Trump with other brash leaders, in this case Hitler. But other similarities are simply not there. This nation is far from the disaster of post-war Germany. There are many holes in your comparisons between the situation of 1920s and 1930s Europe and today's America. Self-aggrandizing rhetoric is a part of the political landscape of almost any campaign. It goes with the territory, although Trump is better than most at it. I don't like being called a "Deplorable," a "misogynist," a "homophobe," "Islamophobe," etc, etc. by Hillary Clinton. Why must you and others on your side keep name-calling? "Donald Dump," for instance? What's that about? It cheapens your argument rather than sharpens it. People like me can see for ourselves the nature of the political opposition and we can make up our own minds. And we did.

"Other similarities are simply not there" is not accurate. Scapegoating is not mere "brash" style, and it is very different from other presidential candidates. We would do well to take marginalization of social groups very seriously, as it implies the erosion of civil rights - for all of us. As for other similarities, I would point out that protectionism was a central feature of fascist governments. Economic fascism is, in part, defined by a merger of big business and government, which we are seeing in Trump's choice of Cabinet members. Trump has also championed Constitutional changes - the reversal of Roe v Wade, for example - which would limit the rights of women. (Fascist societies, interestingly enough, promoted the idea that a woman's place was in the home, making babies.) Racial superiority, one of the most prominent features of Nazi Germany is being promoted by Bannon, Trump's right hand man. And, not to put too fine a point on it, it is really worrisome that Trump wants to increase nuclear capacity at a time when disarmament should be a goal. Trump may not have the conquest of the world at heart, but he doesn't seem to mind toying with the idea of blowing it up. (Remember his question, "Why can't we use nuclear weapons?") All autocrats share similar features, whether they be Hitler, Mussolini, or Trump. Rather than reject the notion out of hand, consider the possibility that this is the first time we have had an outright autocrat take office, and what that means for the future of democracy.

Erica Verrillo, I see where you are coming from, but again there are so many differences. For me, first and foremost, is the Constitution. We still have its protections. The Weimar Republic was a shambles, the laws were flimsy and dependent upon who was in charge. This nation has weathered all sorts of people in the Presidency, including Franklin D. Roosevelt who tried to change the number of judges on the Supreme Court. At any rate, what you and I see in Trump is very dependent upon where we are standing: you on the more liberal side, me on the more conservative side. When I looked at Hillary Clinton, I was very afraid, while no doubt you were hopeful. Anyway, I wish you well. And you do have a great website which no doubt has helped many writers.